Hail To The Chief: Killing Those Blood Suckers

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Hail To The Chief: Killing Those Blood Suckers

This time of year we all look forward to the bright, warm temperatures, the flowers blossoming and the outdoor grilling. However, the one thing we dread the most is the buzzing we hear next to our ear or the irritating bite. Yep, I’m talking about those pesky mosquitoes. THEY DRIVE ME NUTS!!!

When I was a lot younger, I lived next to a wooded area. During this time of the year, my Dad would go into the shop and create several of these homemade mosquito traps. This is what I learned from him. Mosquitoes are attracted to people’s odors and body heat but are more importantly to the carbon dioxide (CO2) that we as humans exhale. The idea is to lure them into the trap where we can create this gas. This will lead to them dying of dehydration. Here are the materials you need:

Cut the top off the two-liter bottle just below the point where the top merges into the cylinder. In a small pot, warm the water to simmering. Add the brown sugar and continue to heat and stir the water until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the water from the stove and let it cool enough so its not scolding. Afterwards, pour the water into the bottom section of the bottle. Add the packet of yeast to the water and stir until the yeast is dissolved.

Take the top section of the bottle and place it inside the bottom section. The funnel shape should be pointing down and the cut edges of the two bottle sections should line up. With the black tape, seal the two where the sections of bottle meet. Finally, cover the outside of the bottom section with black construction paper. If you put your mosquito trap outdoors, make sure you place it in a shaded area because too much heat will kill the yeast.

Remember, you’ll need to replace the yeast mixture about every two weeks. Hopefully, you too will be able to keep those mosquitos and mosquito bites at a minimum.